BJP National President Shri Amit Shah said there was public anger against the ruling Congress in Karnataka and asked party workers to make sure that the victory march of Narendra Modi enters the South through the state.
Shri Shah was on a three-day visit to the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada, where the BJP is on a strong wicket and is trying to widen the base further.
Addressing those in charge of BJP’s “Shakti Kendra” in Udupi on 21 February, 2018, he said BJP had been winning polls in several states and increasing its tally and it is Karnataka’s turn now.”
“There is anger among people against Congress, and if we cannot convert it into votes it will be difficult to take forward the party. This is an opportunity. There is public anger against Siddaramaiah government. There is no better opportunity to convert this anger into votes,” Shri Shah said.
“Karnataka BJP workers have to make sure that this victory march of Narendra Modi enters southern India through the state.” “I have seen and fought all these elections closely,” he said.
“BJP has not just won elections. Winning just elections is easy as there will be a wave or some one’s fault or anti-incumbency, but BJP along with winning elections has also worked for strengthening the party from deep bottom,” he said.
He recalled the contribution of party workers with whose efforts BJP had earlier formed the government in the state in 2008 and said after the exit of the BJP government, “there was this corrupt government by the Congress.”
He said BJP had not taken short cuts like Congress to win elections and lakhs and lakhs of party workers had put in hard work from the booth level.
Stressing the need for strengthening the party at the booth level, Shri Shah said if this didn’t happen, “government can just come and go, but can’t continue like in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.”
He also asked BJP workers not to take party work lightly, and said response from people for the BJP is good.
But he had no hesitation in saying that reports that he has got about ground level work by workers was disappointing, he said.
The BJP leader pointed out that the party’s success in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh was because of booth level strengthening of the party.
Asking the party workers to strengthen the organisation at the booth level, he said he would come for review at the district level next.
Earlier in the day, Shri Shah visited the famous 800-year-old Krishna Mutt at Udupi.
The BJP President also held talks with senior pontiff of Udupi Pejawar Mutt Sri Visweshatheertha Swamiji.
At Honnavara in Uttara Kannada, the BJP President also visited the family of BJP worker Paresh Mesta, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a lake in the district after he went missing, triggering violence.